The invention relates to a multi-compartment pill container. In particular, the invention is a pill container having compartments associated with different days of the week and different times of those days, for holding pills to be taken at such times, wherein the compartments are easily removable from the container to insert and remove the pills therefrom.
Taking pills and medications on a regimented schedule is a common task for many people, especially the elderly. It is often difficult to remember how many and what kind of pills need to be taken, and whether or not the necessary pills had already been taken. Depending on the medication being taken, it can be dangerous to a person's health or mental well being if a dosage is missed or accidentally exceeded because the person forgot that they already took the proper dosage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,741 to Edelstein discloses a capsule package including a medication storage compartment with a child-resistant cap assembly, and a smaller compartment for receiving the cap assembly of another receptacle. Instructions for taking the medication may be stored in the smaller compartment. However, Edelstein is intended for holding a bulk quantity of each medication in each container, it is not suitable for pre-organizing the dosages to be taken at future times.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,392 to Price discloses a prescription timer for indicating when a person took a pill or when he/she is next scheduled to take a dose of medication. The timer may be attached to a pill bottle having a cap. However, Price only provides a single compartment, making it unsuitable for use with multiple medications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,335 to Boyer et al. discloses a medication container, including a method for using the container. The container takes the form of a clock face, with compartments corresponding to the hours of the day. Boyer is best suited for a person who must take medication at virtually every hour of the day. However, Boyer does not allow a user to pre-arrange medication for a period longer than a single day.
Thus, there exists a need for a multi-compartment pill container wherein the compartments are removable. The compartments are labeled and arranged according to the days of the week, and are further divided and labeled according to different times of the day, namely “AM”, “Noon”, “Evening”, and “Bed”. A full week's worth of medication may be inserted into the container, and removed at the appropriate time.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.